Modern Explorers: The Time Machine by H.
In the years when people thought the earth was flat man dreamed of exploring the worlds many wonders. Most countries sent explorers out in every direction to find new lands, new people, new ideas, and new treasures. These explorers kept logs of their journeys and wrote about savages and jungles. H.G. Wells The Time Machine is the story of an explorer but not an explorer of distance but an explorer of time. The Time Traveler travels into the future expecting a Utopian society very technologically advanced but he is disappointed what he finds. The complexities of surviving in the future, getting home, and then getting the future accepted in the present are the key dilemmas of our character.
The Time Traveler expects the future to be technologically advanced instead of the more simplistic Utopia he finds. After a short time in the future he realizes that he is very ill equipped to stay here. The only way to survive is to adapt. He is befriended by one of the two races left on the planet, the Eloi. The Eloi are small, fragile creatures; knowing not of fear or work. They survive off fruit that grows naturally on almost every tree. He stays with them in their "home" (even though they all sleep and eat in 1 big room). After a short stay he discovers the second species, the Morlocks. The Morlocks are the nocturnal, subterranean carnivores that prey on the gentle Eloi. After his discovery of this second species The Time Traveler decides to investigate further and by doing so starts a war with the Morlocks. The Time Traveler decides to search the land for tools and supplies to aid in his war with the Morlocks until he can get home. Upon searching the land he stumbles upon an old museum, filled with ancient artifacts, skeletons, and artifacts from his time. In the museum he find a crowbar, matches, and camphor (a flammable gel). Using these tools he is able to defeat the Morlocks but are they enough to help him find his lost time machine.